Going to the Dogs! – Review by Cara Potapshyn Meyers

We have received a lot of cool samples and product information for pet owners lately here at MotherhoodLater.com! I’d like to share some of these with you!

Pet Hub

Travel with a pet can be stressful – pets can easily get lost while exploring a new environment. A new service is helping to make it easier for pets to stay safe in the event that the pet is separated from the owner. Pet tags are now smart! Now you can easily scan pet/owner info using your Smartphone to help GPS locate the owner of a lost pet. PetHub tags helps owners digitize their pet’s important records and make them accessible via Smartphones and the Web.

PetHub provides pet owners with the fastest and safest way to get lost pets home. Going beyond standard ID tags, the PetHub ID tag (and new collar – see photo) provides immediate, one-scan access to critical information such as emergency contacts, necessary medication, allergies, immunizations, vet and insurance providers, dietary needs, and much more. Unlike microchips, anyone with a Smartphone can easily scan the PetHub ID tag or use the Web address on the front of the tag to access a pet’s critical information and immediately take proper action.

I received a sample and activated it for my dog, Maxi. The process to set up the tag was very simple and the choices of what you want the tag to have stored in it is completely comprehensive. You get a choice of three levels of activation for your pet. Bronze is basic, Silver allows GPS activation, and Gold additionally offers pet insurance. I chose Silver for the GPS option. I tested it with my iPhone using a scanning App. Minutes later, I received an e-mail telling me that my dog was found and a map was provided showing my dog’s location! I was beyond impressed! I was also able to enter our dog’s personal information, Veterinarian’s information, and my dog’s medication with dosage and times of day medication needs to be given. You can also enter dates when vaccinations were updated. There is so much more to this tag than meets the eye!

Check it out at www.PetHub.com!

TAGG

Another similar tracking device is called the TAGG. Instead of a tag, this product is an actual collar. It is an advanced GPS tracking device which allows pet owners to track and locate their best friend via the web or mobile device, whether it’s a normal day or during a time of crisis. Tagg will also send the pet parent an alert via email or text message if Fluffy or Fido wanders outside their designated safe area. For example, if you’re at work when a bad storm hits, you can use Tagg to make sure your dog is safely inside the house. Or if your cat gets spooked by an earthquake and darts outside, you can use Tagg to track its whereabouts.

People take major precautions to prepare for the worst – we stockpile bottled water and food, take shelter from dangerous storms and safeguard our homes –  but what about our pets? Coinciding with peak storm season, May is National Chip Your Pet Month and June is National Pet Preparedness Month. These two months are an important reminder for pet parents to have a plan in place for any disasters they might encounter with their best friend.

Visit their website at Tagg – The Pet Tracker.

Pooch Power Shovel

Get the kids involved with spring cleaning and pet care – cleaning up after a pet is a tough but necessary job and a new innovation is now doing the work for you! Small, lightweight and portable, the Pooch Power Shovel does the dirty work quickly and efficiently. Tiny yet powerful, the handheld device vacuums dog waste into disposable bags. A 30,000-rpm motor makes it easy to clean up on any ground cover including grass, concrete, decorative garden beds and even snow.  The job is now easy and hands stay clean! For more information visit http://www.petpowerproducts.com/.

Dog Vacay

Summer is fast approaching, and anyone with a pooch knows you’ll have to shell out about $50/night to put your four-legged best friend in a cage while you are off on a beach which can be distressing. Asking a friend or family to dog-sit can feel too imposing. So what is a vacationing dog owner ‘s alternative?

If you want to find amazing people in your neighborhood to give your dog undivided attention and love, look no further. A new site called Dog Vacay, will help you find a local home for your dog while you’re away. Pet owners who take their dogs along on trips may also use the service to find sitters or host homes in cities they visit- a great alternative if your hotel doesn’t accept pets, or if you don’t want to leave your dog in the hotel room all day.

If you are a qualified host and dog lover, Dog Vacay enables you to care for local dogs in your area while their owners are away. Dog owners can rest assured knowing they have placed their dogs in great hands and not in traditional kennel cages. Hosts can earn $15-$100 dollars per dog. Great for stay-at-home workers who are already caring for a pet, as well as teachers, retirees, veterans, and older kids who have asked for a dog so that they can learn the responsibility involved while earning cash under parental supervision. 

Dog Vacay is helping thousands of dogs find their own vacations while their families travel. Dog Vacay gives people an alternative to caged kennel boarding by matching dogs with awesome professional hosts who open their hearts and homes where Fido will feel warm and comfy. The online community that’s free to use, matches dog owners in need of pet-care services like walking, training, and day care with amazing qualified animal caregivers, all at a cost of half the average kennel stay. 

Pets can “vacation” conveniently in the capable hands of hosts at a nearby home with a big backyard for a husky, or a one-bedroom apartment for a Chihuahua, while their owners are free to enjoy a guilt-free vacation knowing their best friends are being well cared for and not missing their usual comforts of home.

Dog owners will also experience the peace of mind that comes with pre-qualified hosts, daily photo updates, 24/7 support, vet care, the Dog Vacay Concierge, who can set up massages, and other goodies including insurance coverage. A dog’s life isn’t so ruff!  

Visit their website at:  www.dogvacay.com 

 Note: Thanks to the above companies for providing sample products and information.  Cara Potapshyn Meyers and MotherhoodLater.com assume no liability relative to products reviewed in this blog.

Tags: Cara Potapshyn Meyers, dog tags, dogs, PetHub, PetVacay, Pooch Power Shovel, TAGG